First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Decreases Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. trimmed its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 27.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,408 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,872 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $705,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,103,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $410,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,432,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total value of $298,852.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $231,524.40. This represents a 56.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 191,669 shares of company stock valued at $13,155,425 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock opened at $65.37 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $43.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.91. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $73.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.06.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.